Models, Hyenas, Lemurs Oh My!

Charlie the lemur sits on Banana Republican's shoulder while his master Dwon Simmons plays with his tail.

Usually the only exotic creatures one comes across on South Beach are leggy fashion models. But the American Riviera is an underground wild animal kingdom. This week, we brought you the story of Bryan Hawn, a dude who kept an African spotted hyena in his apartment for almost eleven months last year. On May 24, while canvassing polling stations on election day, New Times videographer Jacob Katel and I came across bicycle riding Dwon Simmons and his pet lemur Charlie. Yeah, we said WTF too.

Simmons says ring-tailed Charlie hails from Madagascar. He adopted the lemur from a friend who runs an animal refuge in Homestead. "He had a hernia when I got him," Simmons explains. "He is part of the pro-simian family."

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Simmons has a permit from the Florida Wildlife & Game Commission that allows him to keep Charlie inside his apartment. "He has his own room," Simmons adds. "People are always stopping me on the street to meet Charlie."